


to leave it all behind

by lilija_the_red



Category: HIStory3 - 圈套 | HIStory3: Trap
Genre: After Final, Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Probably Canon Divergent, hurt!Tang Yi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-18 23:58:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19345342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilija_the_red/pseuds/lilija_the_red
Summary: Tang Yi may have made peace with his past and distanced himself from it.But that doesn’t mean his past shares that view.





	1. 1

Tang Yi has served his sentence. For almost 2 years he has paid his deeds and now … it’s over. For good.  
As he walks through the prison corridors, down a path he had dreamed about to walk for so many nights, he leaves his old life behind him. Leaves it all behind: the revenge for his mentor’s life; the mysterious puzzle pieces of his identity; the intrigues of the underground. Absolution for his crimes. He’s through.

When he steps out through the gates – finally normal clothes on his skin once more, and the sun on his face – he takes a deep breath of unfiltered air and steps out of his past and into the light.

And for probably the first time in his life, he is truly free. 

“Tang Yi!”

A beautifully familiar voice rings through the air. It’s open, cheerful, warm. Tang Yi can’t help the smile forming on his face, as he sees Shao Fei sprinting towards him. A bright smile on his respective face. They meet halfway, in a tight embrace, arms firmly clasped around the other, no ounce of air left between them. He captures Shao Fei’s lips in a desperate kiss. Desperate to feel the other man against him. He had to wait way too long for this.

Shao Fei leans into the kiss, kissing back eagerly, hands pressing down hard on the small of Tang Yi’s back and he’s filled up with love and satisfaction.

And just like that a heavy weight is lifted from Tang Yi’s chest, happiness filling his body. He takes in the feeling of Shao Fei in his arms, the warmth and steadiness of his body against his and relaxes.

How long he has waited to feel him like this again. How many hours has he spent thinking about the day he’d finally be out.

He’s free, and he’s not alone.

 


	2. 2

Tang Yi settles in quickly enough. He already knows what the business is up to, Hong Ye had made sure to keep him updated during her weekly visits. So, stepping into his job as CEO has been seamless.

Shao Fei and he fall into an effortless rhythm easy enough. He may had worried about it in his time behind bars, but just after one day back at home, he knows he shouldn’t have. It’s different than before. But… better. So much better.

Tang Yi is free after all.

Free from his past. Free from the shady half-light of the Gang and the underworld. Ready for a fresh start.

That’s how he sees it.  
That’s how the law sees it.  
And most importantly, at least to him: that’s how Shao Fei sees it, too. Beautiful, head-strong Shao Fei… Tang Yi smiles as he puts away the last piece of paper. A contract he would have to check tomorrow again. He’s done for today. And realizes as he lets his eyes wander through his new office, thinking about what he’s got now: He’s happy with his new life.

So, he chooses to forget the old.

However, his old life doesn’t forget.

Living like he has – being on the streets for most of his life, joining a gang and succeeding to become the gang’s boss even? Being just that for almost five years… a life like that, brings you not only friends.

But at least in this moment Tang Yi is unaware of the acute danger looming outside of the building complex. No, instead he cleans up his place and looks forward to coming home to his boyfriend. Thinking about what the rest of the evening would hold for him. Maybe he could cook that new recipe, he had found last week, for Shao Fei and him.

He’s about to leave the office, when his phone buzzes softly.

> _Meng Shao Fei  
>  >> Waiting downstairs. See you ^-^ << _

Tang Yi pockets the phone, hiding his smile, as he leaves the office. He heads for the elevator, considers them, but opts for the stairs. They would be faster and it’s only four flights. For some unknown reason he couldn’t get out of this house fast enough, and into his boyfriend’s car.

Downstairs, the entry door opens with a swift motion before Tang Yi, giving way for the warm summer air. Tang Yi steps outside, eyes already searching for a familiar black car. He doesn’t have to look for long, as Shao Fei parked right in front of the building, on the sidewalk; Shao Fei is leaning against it, arms crossed. His face lights up the moment he catches eyes of Tang Yi, making Tang Yi’s pulse quicken up just a tid.

Shao Fei doesn’t pick him up often, lately, with all the overtime tied to the promotion to Captain and all, so it’s a nice surprise to see him so early this day. Tang Yi doesn’t plan on letting the gifted time being wasted and hurries towards Shao Fei.

A sudden pierce through his chest, throws him back. Pressure impinges on him, making his chest go tight, as all the air in his lungs is pressed out. Numbness follows and spreads through him, leaving only a cotton feeling behind. He can see Shao Fei’s smile fall, making place for confusion and then terror, before his own knees give in. He can feel himself sinking to the ground, a ghostly silence surrounding him. When his knees hit the ground, he can’t feel the impact, can’t feel anything but the overbearing tightness of his chest. He can’t concentrate on anything but. Slowly, he reaches out to where the piercing is the worst. Left chest, he thinks as his fingers meet fabric and- wetness. Tang Yi stares at his red-tipped fingers with disbelief. The wetness spreads faster and faster over his chest, his torso, dripping onto the pavement.

_Oh, he knows that feeling. Knows it far too well.  
It may have been seven years since the last time, but he still remembers how a bullet through your chest feels like._

In the next moment his sight goes dizzy, and he would have toppled over if it hasn’t been for Shao Fei, who suddenly kneels down beside him. Shao Fei’s hands are on his numb arms, holding him up.

A surge of pain rushes through him, as a new pressure is applied to his chest. Tang Yi blinks, and again and again, fast and briefly. Tries desperately to fight against the dizziness clouding his vision. Shao Fei is screaming – no, shouting at someone behind him. One of his hand is on Tang Yi’s chest. But he barely realizes any of this, he just stares at Shao Fei’s face. The former panic on his face is gone, replaced by cold determination. He knows that look far too well. Distant sounds find their ways back to Tang Yi’s ears, but he can’t bring himself to listen; he just stares.

Two security men ran past them, towards the direction, Shao Fei’s pointing with one hand, the other still holding Tang Yi.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Shao Fei’s eyes are back on him. Big eyes even wider than usual and dark and… Tang Yi closes his eyes as another wave of pain washes through him.

“Hey! Tang Yi! Stay with me! The ambulance is on its way. Stay with me!”

Tang Yi tries to listen. He wants to obey to his boyfriend’s command, he really does.  
But he doesn’t know if he can.


	3. 3

When Tang Yi opens his eyes the next time, he’s met with bright blinding white.

He shuts his eyes with a groan.

His throat feels like sandpaper, his body is battered and hurting all over. Not full hurt; the familiar numbed down hurt you feel when you are pumped full with at least a dozen of pain medications.

“Tang Yi?”

A familiar voice comes up from next to him.   
Then again. “Tang Yi?!”

Somebody touches his hand.

That at last makes him slowly opens his eyes again, looking straight into Dr. Jian’s face. Relief washes over his friend’s face as he sees it.

“Thank god”, he sighs, before straightening up again. “You’ve scared us all! I thought, with you quitting the shady business, you would stop coming to my workplace like this!”

Tang Yi opens his mouth. It’s strenuous, working against the hurting muscles, trying to gain control back over his unused voice. “Sorry”, he croaks.

Another sigh escapes the doctor’s throat. “How do you feel?”

“Like shit.”

He takes in a deep breath, already feeling so utterly tired.   
But one thought keeps him from just sinking back into those merciful dreamless sleep.

“Where-“, Tang Yi starts but Dr. Jian stops him.

“Don’t worry”, he says softly, “he is fine. I sent him home only a couple of hours ago.”

Tang Yi relaxes at that, relieved to know that Shao Fei is fine… then again, he wants to see him now. Wants to see him so badly. Just… he can’t fight the uneasiness sitting in his stomach, at the thought of Shao Fei being not here…

“It was quiet a fight to make him leave your bedside, you know. Took both the persuasiveness of your sister and his little friend. Also, my threat to just put him under anesthesia and bodily carry him outside if he wouldn’t go on his on.”

Dr. Jian squeezes his hand softly. “I’ll let them know you woke up.”

Then he’s up and out of his sight of vision. At the door he stops. “They still haven’t found the one who ordered the-“, he hesitates. “The attack. I thought you would want to know.”

With that he’s out and Tang Yi is alone again. Only the beeping noises of the various machines, stripped to his body, keeping him company.

A dozen of questions are crowding his mind, but he has no energy to think clearly.

All he wants now is sleep.

Sleep.

And Shao Fei.


	4. 4

“How is he?!” Shao Fei stops right before Dr. Jian, probably looking crazy and out of his mind, but he doesn’t care. It’s not like the staff doesn’t know him by now – both as patient and as visitor.

“Awake. At least”, Dr. Jian says, putting down the file he’s just been holding and turns towards them.

“Hello, Dr. Jian”, Hong Ye greets him with a smile. Her eyes have an unusual redness to them, but except for that she looks indifferent. “Can we see him now?” She pauses. “Is he awake?”

“I think so, yes.”

Shao Fei shoots Hong Ye a swift glance. She acts calm and he’s sure she had everybody in the room fooled except for two people. Because after all these years, he knows where to look with her. And now looking at her, he can see how shaken she really is. How carefully she holds herself together. The back a tid-bit too straight, her smile too thin…  
This is not the first time, she had to see her brother like this, after all, he hasn’t forgotten. And how easily this could have gone wrong…This time the bullet had entered only 1 cm next to old wound. I could have gone so terribly wrong. It-  
  
Shao Fei shakes his head and with it the horrible scenarios out of his mind. His thoughts jump to the box in his jacket’s pocket, the weight already familiar and soothing. It had been in his pocket ever since the day he had wanted to pick Tang Yi up from work.  
  
He had it all planned out. Drive home, get ready for their reservations at 7pm. He had chosen Tang Yi’s favourite restaurant. After dinner they would have gone to that theater Tang Yi had been toying to visit for some time now. And then…well.  
  
In the end, nothing went according to plan. Instead they’d spent the night at the private hospital; Tang Yi in surgery and then laying spookily lifeless in a hospital bed, strapped to too many machines, while Shao Fei switched between talking on the phone, organizing the team to find the attacker and the perp behind it all and sitting at his bedside, hoping for a miracle.  
  
For the past two days the weight of that little box had been his anchor. His beacon of hope. This can’t be over yet. They can’t be over yet. He reaches into his pocket and lets his fingertips run over the smooth surface for a moment. He just knows.

“Okay”, Shao Fei nods, taking Hong Ye softly by the elbow. “Lets go.”

The three make their way towards Tang Yi’s room. Hong Ye stops in front and turns towards him. “Do you want to go on your-“

He shakes his head. “He will want to see you, too. Come on.”

Shao Fei nods at the two security men in front of the room and ignores the knot prodding inside his stomach. The nervousness buzzing through him. It’s been hours since he last saw Tang Yi, but he still worries that something could have happened while he was away. That something has happened to him and-

Dr. Jian opens the door and they step in.

When he sees Tang Yi halfway propped up against the back of his bed, eyes halfway open, Shao Fei’s chest tightens, his throat too. He lets go of Hong Ye’s arm and in the next second, he’s next to Tang Yi’s bed.

“Tang Yi!”

He reaches out for his face, softly cradling his cheek, careful not to bring any disarray to the tubes and cables. Seeing Tang Yi like this, awake but still so pale, still stringed to the machines makes him fight down the tears forming in his eyes. He swallows hard.

“Hey”, Tang Yi croaks, leaning into the touch, a soft smile forming on his lips.

Tang Yi’s voice is thin and raw. But he’s talking again! He’s awake! Relief runs through his veins and a weight is lifted from his heart.

A muffled sob from the door makes Tang Yi tear his clouded eyes from Shao Fei, who follows his gaze.

“Hong Ye-”

Shao Fei looks back just right to catch the soft smile appearing on Tang Yi’s face as his little sister steps towards the bed. Shao Fei retreats his hand and moves over, making space for her. She leans forward, close to her brother’s face.

“You’ve really scared us!” Hong Ye sobs, jabbing lightly at the blanket on top of Tang Yi.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be!” She’s glaring at Tang Yi. Shao Fei is kinda happy he’s not on her radar today. He knows it's mostly for show, the ice in her voice, the glaring eyes - everything to not give in to the tears. Still. You don't want Hong Ye's wrath upon you, joke or not.

“I am sorry”, Tang Yi says again, a glint of guilt blinking up in his tired eyes.

“Good!” Hong Ye leans back, letting out a huff of air. She considers Tang Yi for a moment, letting her eyes run over his face, falling on his chest, bandages hidden underneat the hospital gear. Her voice is soft when she speaks again. “How do you feel?”

“Tired.” Tang Yi answers truthfully.

 


	5. 5

They stay for some more time. But soon enough, Tang Yi’s eyes fall shut again; the tiredness and pain medication taking their claim.

Side by side they leave the room and head for the cafeteria downstairs. It has already become a habit. They greet the security men, nod at the receptionist and a few minutes later they sit outside, fuming cups in front of them. Neither of them has said anything after they’ve left the hospital room, until Hong Ye breaks the silence.

“It’s good that he’s awake.”

Shao Fei hums in agreement, still lost in his thoughts. Lost in the memories of Tang Yi, pale and weak between all the monitors and cables. A shudder runs through him at the thought.

“Good to be able to talk to him again.” Hong Ye’s voice sounds … distant. Shao Fei quickly turns around towards her, puzzled look on his face. He just catches the glimpse of watery eyes, before the expression is exchanged with anger.

“He had promised to never do something like this again. To never land himself this way in a hospital bed! And now-”  
  
“It’s no exactly up to his control, this time”, Shao Fei tries but Hong Ye interrupts him.  
  
“I KNOW!” She takes a deep breath, visibly controlling her temper once more. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at you. I’m just-“  
  
“I get it. It’s a lot.” Shao Fei says, bumping his shoulders against hers.  
  
She considers him for a long moment. “It is. For us all.”  Shao Fei doesn’t know what to take from the look in her eyes, and just reaches for the coffee.

“Do you want me to drop you off at home or-“

Shao Fei shakes his head, burying his hands back into his pockets. “Nah, I’ll stay here a little longer. Going on Dr. Jian’s nerves.”  
He had considered going home again, but something is keeping him here. It doesn’t feel right to go home just yet.

A lopsided grin appears on Hong Ye’s face. “Thought so. But don’t forget that you too need sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hong Ye is my otl (one true love)  
> just saying
> 
> will this have a consistent update schedule you ask?   
> Funny you!   
> of course not!


	6. 6

When Shao Fei steps back into Tang Yi’s room, the other man is still asleep.

“Hey, it’s me again”, Shao Fei whispers, as he sits down, carefully taking Tang Yi’s hand in his.

He lets his thumb run over the small patch of untouched skin of Tang Yi’s hand, grateful for the warmth slowly coming back into Tang Yi’s fingers.  
  
These past few days, they’d felt like ice... them being warm, helps remembering that Tang Yi is getting better. Helps, with the view of the motionless Tang Yi in front of him right now, breathing shallowly. A picture, which is too familiar to that moment days ago, when Tang Yi just came out of surgery. Too pale, too much blood lost, nobody knowing if he’d make it. It’s too familiar to not make new panic wallow up in him all over again. Panic, that the last hour had been just a dream and Tang Yi has never woken up at all. Only his mind playing a dirty trick on him…

But no, he tells himself forcefully. It’s alright. Tang Yi’s alright. Sort of. Soon, at least.

Shao Fei settles into a comfortable position – as comfortable as hospital chairs could be – and lets his eyes rest on Tang Yi.

As if he would disappear, once Shao Fei looks away.

Of course, he knows, that that’s highly unlikely.

Still, it’s a strange sort of comfort, though, seeing Tang Yi right in front of him, him being close enough to touch, close enough to just… be with him. Be there for him. It silences the uneasiness rumbling in the back of his mind.   

Another hour. Maybe two. Then he would go home and sleep.  

Or pull up the laptop and go through the files his team has been sending him for sure. (When Dr. Jian had called, Shao Fei had had no thought left for bringing the laptop with him to work here. His thoughts had been too occupied with the aspect of seeing Tang Yi.)  
Shao Fei knows, there must be new information waiting for him; information about the attacker and his boss.

  
The man who shot Tang Yi.  
And the person who wants Tang Yi dead.

  
Coldness takes a hold of his heart as he thinks about them.  
He would find the person behind this and make them answer to the law!  
  
But right now, he needs to be here, by Tang Yi’s side. Just to be sure.

His thoughts wander back to the men positioned in front of the door, mentally going through their shift plans. There should be a shift change, soon. He’ll wait for that, before going home. He wants to know who’s taking over. Wants to see them. He should know all the of them by now. Just… to make sure.  
  
It’s not that he doesn’t believe Tang Yi to be safe under Dr. Jian’s care.  
He trusts the man and by extension his staff.

The securities positioned outside to protect Tang Yi, had been handpicked by Tang Yi and Hong Ye – some of them have been with them for years now.  
  
So, really, there’s no reason for Shao Fei to feel this wary.  
  
And yet he still can’t shake off that feeling of approaching danger.


	7. 7

He's been sitting there for good half an hour when something changes. From one moment to the other, Tang Yi’s eyelids begin to flutter and suddenly Shao Fe is met with two sleepy eyes looking at him.

“Hey”, he says softly, leaning forward on instinct.

“You are back.” A smile forms on Tang Yi’s face, making Shao Fei’s heart ache. He shakes his head, a cheaky grin appearing.

“Didn’t leave.”

“Shao Fei…”

His face softens at hearing the distressed sound of Tang Yi’s voice.

“Save it. Hong Ye has already reminded me of the fact, that I’m actually a human being and therefor in need of sleep and all that.” He brings Tang Yi’s hand, he’s been holding all this time, to his lips, and presses a light kiss onto the sensitive skin.  
“It’s okay. Really. I just-”, he pauses, searching for the right words. “I just wanted to be here with you for a little while longer.”

Tang Yi seems to get it. At least he lets it pass and just closes his eyes again.

“Do you want to sleep some more?”

“Not really”, Tang Yi huffs, looking back at Shao Fei. “I think I’ve slept enough.”

He adds, as suddenly a visible shudder runs over his body. Worry wallows up in Shao Fei.

“Tang Yi?” He tightens his grip on Tang Yi’s hand; his voice is too high pitched, but he doesn’t care.

Tang Yi shakes his head, pulling at the comforter. “It’s nothing. Just feeling a little cold. That’s all”, he explains. Shao Fei nods slowly.

“What- what are you doing Shao Fei?”

But Shao Fei has already stood up and toed out of his shoes.

“What do you think?”

Tang Yi just looks at him, a dumbfounded look on his face, as Shao Fei moves towards the bed.

“Let me helpyou move. Tell me if it hurts, okay?” With that he reaches out for Tang Yi, helping him sit upright, careful hands holding him steady. And then he casually slips behind him into the bed. After a little rearranging of limbs and cables, he wraps his arms around Tang Yi, careful to avoid the wound, and pulls him against hist chest. The natural ease Tang Yi lets himself sink into his arms, makes Shao Fei grin, content running through him. He leans his chin on Tang Yi’s shoulder, letting the sensation of Tang Yi leaning against him sink in; drinking in the so missed familiar presence of the other man.

“Is this feeling okay?” Shao Fei asks. “Are you feeling warmer already? Or should I get another blanket from the nurses office?”

Tang Yi sighs softly, letting his head rest back against Shao Fei’s chest. “No, no, this is okay.”

Shao Fei can feel Tang Yi squeezing his hand, soft and tender, but there, and just like that calmness streams through him, silencing the worries nagging at his mind.

They lay like this for some time. Shao Fei suspects him to have fallen asleep again, when Tang Yi speaks up the next time.

“Shao Fei?”

“Mh?”

“Will you tell me about the case?”

Not can you, will you, Shao Fei notices.  
“There’s not much to say, so far, I’m sorry. We’ve got the”, he stops, swallowing once. “We got ahold of the one, who shot. But we have yet to find the one to issue the shooting.” He tightens his arms around Tang Yi, at the feeling of anger boiling up inside him again. “We will find them, trust me.”

“I trust you.” Tang Yi says without missing a beat. The readiness, the ease with what he’s said it makes Shao Fei’s chest go tight. He presses a quick kiss to Tang Yi’s shoulder, before he continues. “Until we find him, we have a minimum of three securities watching over you at all time.”

Tang Yi goes still.

“Tang Yi”, Shao Fei begins, already awaiting Tang Yi to protest, “there’s no way around that. It’s not like you can protect yourself at this very moment and-“

“No, no”, Tang Yi quips, and how Shao Fei wishes he could see his face right now. It would make reading him and guessing his thoughts so much easier.

“I get it, Shao Fei, really, I do. It’s just… I had thought, I could leave all this behind me, you know?” Another sigh. “I’m just… tired. Tired of it all.”

Shao Fei hums in agreement, “I know. I know…”

He had hoped so, too.  
That Tang Yi would come out of jail, having done his time and could just be free. That he could just… leave his past behind.

But the reality is different.  
The reality is Tang Yi laying in a hospital bed with a bullet wound in his chest.  
The reality is somebody being out there wanting Tang Fei dead.  
The reality is that they still haven’t caught that person  
The reality is that they might not be the last person from Tang Yi’s past, trying to get him.

Shao Fei highly dislikes this reality.

So he ignores all the rest and just concentrates on something else.

“I’ve missed you.” He says lowly, pressing another chaste kiss to Tang Yi's neck, smiling at the shudder it sends through Tang Yi's body.

"Shao Fei..."

He doesn’t want to think about it anymore, about what could have happened, about what is likely to happen in the future. He doesn’t want to think about it. Not in this moment. Right now, he just wants to be Tang Yi’s worried boyfriend and not search for the bastard, who’s responsible for all this.  
He’ll be the police man later, right now he decides to be the boyfriend first.

 His thoughts wander to the box in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyone wanna help with choosing the next path this fic will go down? I'm not yet sold on wether they should become happy just yet or make them work for it some more even. all tied to that lil ring box in Shao Fei's pocket.. we'll see we'll see...  
> Come say hi [my tumblr](%E2%80%9D)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me here [my tumblr](%E2%80%9D)
> 
> update will follow soon


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